Plain broccoli pizza is great and all, but when you add lemon-garlic white sauce, three different cheeses, and sweet-hot peppadew peppers, it blows all other veggie pies out of the water.
Broccoli Pizza, step by step
Don’t be put off by the extra step of blanching the broccoli. It doesn’t take long (pro tip: fill your pot with hot tap water to speed up the boiling process), and you can prepare other ingredients while you wait.
- Blanch the broccoli.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add the broccoli florets and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. This will soften them to just al dente and turn bright green. Then, to lock in that color, submerge them in a bowl of ice water. After a few minutes, drain the broccoli and pat dry with paper towels.
- While the broccoli is cooking, mix the sauce.
Measure cream, ricotta, lemon zest, garlic, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk everything together, taste and add more salt if you like.
- Cut the mozzarella and dice the peppediu pepper.
You can have some of this prep time while the broccoli is cooking. There is no need for perfection when slicing mozzarella; I cut mine into ½-inch dice, but you can make yours bigger or smaller depending on your patience level. Same idea with peppers: slice them as thin as you can so there are enough rings to spread evenly across the pizza.
- Stretch/roll and top with pizza dough.
Check out my video tutorial if you need help rolling out your dough. When it’s ready, brush the edges with a little olive oil, prick it with a fork to prevent embarrassing bubbles from forming in the center while your pizza bakes, and layer the sauce and other toppings as per the recipe below.
- Bake the pizza and enjoy!
Slip that beautiful broccoli pizza into the oven and bake until the bottom is evenly browned (I use a long offset spatula to check) and the cheese is browned in spots. Then, remove from the oven and finish with some lemon zest, salt and optional red pepper flakes. Let rest for a few minutes before cutting.
FAQs
You can find mild peppadew peppers online or at large grocery stores, but if you need absolutely zero spice, use roasted red peppers instead.
I’d stick with mozzarella, but you can swap out the cheddar for Gruyere, Parmesan, or Pecorino.
If heat is your love language, opt for hot peppedew peppers or fresh red chiles, and/or sprinkle on a generous pinch of dried red chile flakes after the pizza comes out of the oven. Also, drizzle your slices with hot honey for an extra treat.
Looking for more veggie pies? Check out TNP’s vegetarian pizza recipe archive.
Print recipe
3-Cheese Broccoli Pizza
Equipment
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Cutting board and knife
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Pot for blanching broccoli
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Large rimmed baking sheet or baking stone/steel
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Pizza Peel (optional)
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Rolling pin (optional)
material
- 2 to 2½ the cup Bite-sized broccoli florets (2 small to medium heads)
for the sauce
- ¼ the cup Whole milk ricotta
- ¼ the cup Heavy (whipped) cream
- 1 Small (or ½ large) clove of garlic, Pressed, grated, or minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Zest of 1 lemon, divided
for pizza
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) balls pizza dough
- Extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ the cup hot or spicy-sweet peppadew or cherry peppers, thinly sliced
- 4 ounce fresh mozzarella cheese, to cut
- ¼ the cup Finely shredded aged/farmhouse cheddar cheese
- kosher salt
- Dry red chili flakes (optional)
- hot honey (optional)
instructions
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Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as possible (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone in the upper third or place the steel in the lower third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, turn the oven to high broil.
To blanch the broccoli
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Bring a large pot to boil water. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water and place it on the stove. Carefully add broccoli florets to boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then drain immediately and transfer to ice water. This will lock them in bright green.
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Wait a few minutes, then drain the broccoli and pat dry with paper towels.
to make the sauce
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In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, cream, garlic, salt and half of the lemon zest. Taste and add a little more salt if desired.
Assemble and bake the pizza
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Stretch or roll out your dough into a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a baking sheet/pizza pan or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
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Prick the dough all over with a fork and brush the edges with a little oil. Spread the sauce over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border all around, then top with the peppers and broccoli. Finally, add the shredded mozzarella and cheddar.
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Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is browned in spots – 8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 5 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
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Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the remaining lemon wedge, a pinch of salt, and a pinch or two of dried red chili flakes (if using). Let it rest for 3 to 5 minutes, then cut it into slices.
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Serve broccoli pizza with additional dried red chili flakes and hot honey, if desired.